It was as if the whole universe had suffered some glitch and reset itself; as if Haden had never really been there.

And yet, when I looked down at my open hand, the envelope was still grasped in it.

I squatted down on my haunches back at the mouth of the alley and pulled the envelope open with trembling hands. Inside I found a single sheet of paper with nine names scrawled in neat, cursive handwriting: Chloe, Randall, Selwyn, Winifred, Yuichi, Rozalia, Oskar, Wallace and, finally, my own. Below each, Haden had written out a series of numbers and letters that were clearly transfer coordinates.

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly desperately dry. My mind kept trying to reject everything that had happened in just the last minute or two. I had a hard time accepting even the reality of the envelope. Somehow I managed to slide the sheet back inside the envelope before pushing it deep into a pocket where I was sure it would not be lost.

I stepped carefully over the tripwire, with no lack of trepidation, and continued on my way down the length of the alley. When I came to the next street, I looked around and saw a rear entrance to the laboratories. I hustled up some steps to the frame of a smashed-in door and stepped through to a foyer, my rifle at the ready.

Now I knew just what to look out for, I had no trouble spotting a second tripwire. I moved with extreme caution, stepping over the wire and continuing deeper into the building.

I found myself surrounded by empty doorways. I swung my rifle from side to side, half expecting Casey to come charging out of one of them with guns blazing. I was met only by silence. I saw the mouth of a corridor, extending deep within the building, most of its length lost in darkness.

I heard a rattling sound from the other side of the foyer and twisted around, bringing my rifle to bear. An empty beer can rolled across the floor before bumping into a wall and coming to a stop.

Too late, I realized my mistake.

I turned. Casey emerged from the shadows, bringing the butt of his rifle crashing down on my head. The foyer tumbled around me, darkness limning the edges of my vision.

‘Too fucking easy, mate,’ I heard Casey say, before the darkness swallowed me up.

‘C’mon. Get up.’

A hand slapped my cheek. Something warm and liquid hit my face and I spluttered, rolling forward and onto my knees, the taste of brackish water on my lips. I blinked my eyes open, my head feeling as if it had been stuffed with old rags, and quickly discovered that my hands were cuffed together in front of me.